Automatic bobbin-changing mechanism for looms



March 18, 1930. N. i. ASAFOFF AUTOMATIC BOBBIN CHANGING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 12, 1928 N/komr A54 F'OFF INVENTOR BY?! Wo/wu/ ATTORNEY March 18, 1930. N. l. ASAFOFF AUTOMATIC BOBBIN CHANGING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed NOV. 12, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 jV/koLA/ A SA FOFF INVENTOR 7 /14 m mw' ATTORNEY March 18, 1930. N. ,1. ASAFOFF 1,751,224

AUTOMATIC BOBBIN CHANGING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Nov. 12, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3' INVENTOR as 4 45 BY 7M4 P M01101, w ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES PTE OFFICE AUTOMATIC BOBBIN CHANGING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Application filed November 12, 1928. Serial No. 318,934.

My invention relates to automatic bobbin changing mechanisms for looms and has a particular reference to mechanisms adapted to remove empty spools from the loom shuttle 6 and to insert new bobbins from a magazine located at one end of the loom.

In ordinary bobbin changing devices the bobbin is more or less vlolently thrown against the empty bobbin in the shuttle, there by forcing it out and taking its place. This action causes a certain jar or shock on the operating parts which thereforequickly wear out and become battered and often damaged.

In my mechanism I am using a system of automatically controlled levers which replace bobbins by using steady pressure instead of shock, so that the wear and tear on the'ma,

chine is reduced to a minimum. 7

My mechanism can be adapted and attached to any existing types of plain or automatic looms.

My invention is more fully described .in the accompanying specification and drawings in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of my device in an inoperative position, Fig. 2 is an elevation of a detector mechanism in an operating positionmoved forward to follow the shuttle box, Fig. 3 is an elevation showing the bobbin replacing mechanism in operation, Fig. 4 is an elevation showing a bobbin transferring mechanism in operation, and Fig. 5 is an elevation of a transfer mechanism showing the transferring operation completed.

My mechanism consists of a magazine box 1 for bobbins or spools 2. This magazine box has walls curved on the arc of a circle as shown, although it may be made with straight walls. It is supported on a stationary bracket 3 attached to the frame of a loom. The magazine box is open on top and on bottom and is closed at the bottom with a cover 41 entering the box through an aperture in the wall. This cover is attached to an arm 5 pivotally mounted on a lug 6 on the box 1. The arm 5 is rigidly connected with a deflecting lever 7. This lever has a lug 8 to which a spring 9 is attached the other end of which is attached to a pin 1-0 on the bracket 3. Under tension of the spring 9 the cover 4 is kept inside the box closing its bottom aperture.

The bracket 3 has a pin 11 rotatively supporting transfer ams 12 and 13 which are rigidly connected together. The'arm 12 has a lug 14: pivotally connected with a guiding link 15. The arm 12 has a flat edge 16 on its lower portion shaped as an arc of a circle with the center at the axis of the pin 11. Ihis fiat edge or shelf forms a support for bobbins 2 when they are released from the box by the cover 4. r

The ends of the arms 12 and 13 have cheeks 17 pivotally supported on pins 18 and'provide'd with springs 19 which tend to turn them 5 so as to bring their lower curved ends as gether forming a cage for a bobbin 2. In this position" the upper edges of the cheeks rest against-the edges of the arms 12 and 13 pre venting the cheeks to come in contact with each other. 7 v

, A cover 20 is rotatively mounted on a pin 21 supported on. the arm 13 and has a guiding arm 22' with a curved end. In the inoperativeor extreme left position of the arms as 7 5 shown in F ig. 1 the arm 22 rests against astop or pin 23 on the bracket 3which keeps the cover 20 raised thereby opening the cage between the cheeks 1.7. V i

The guiding link 15 has a fork 24 at its so lower end with a fiat lower surface resting on a supporting bar 25 attached to the frame of the loom. The rear end of the fork 24'is pivotally connected with a link 26 pivoted to the lower end of an arm 27 which is fastened to a change shaft 28. This change shaft is operatively connected with a weft, (filling) motion mechanism of any ordinary construction (not shown) and is adapted to rotate in direction of an arrow 29 when the weft mechanism isset in motion (if there is no thread the ay)- The fork 2 1 is adapted to receive apin 30 on the end of a lever 31 pivotally mounted on a pin 32 attachedto the frame 33 of the loom;- The other end of the lever 31 has a roller 34' adapted to slide in agroove 35 of a cam wheel 36. The cam wheel is mounted on a middle shaft 37 connected through gears 38 and 39 with a crankshaft 40. The shaft 37 rotates at half the speed of the crankshaft. The latter has cranks or wheels 41 with pins 42 connected with links 43. The other ends of these links are pivotally connected to a lay (batten) 44 rotatively supported on pins 45 on the frame 3-3 of the loom. This lay may be of any ordinary construction and provided with shuttle boxes 47 for shuttle 48.

A bobbin changing arm 49 is pivotally sup ported on a'pivot 50 on the front edge of the lay 44. It hasa lug 51' with a spring 52 on the other end of which is attached to a post or screw 53. This spring tends to keep the arm 49 in a raised or inoperative position. Its free end is provided with a roller 54 and has a lug or pusher 55. adapted to engage the bobbin 2 in the shuttle 48 when the arm 49 is lowered.

The shaft 28 has also an arm 56=attached to it which is pivotally connected with a lever 57. One end of this lever is connected with aspring 58 attached with the other end to the'frame 33 of the loom. The other end of the lever 57 extends in a direction parallel to the side of the arm 56 and forms a slot inwhich is wedged a pin 59 on the end of a lever 60. This lever is pivoted in the middle on a pivot'61 supported on the frame 33 of the l00m..;The other end of it is pivotally connected with a link 62 pivoted to the upper end of a detector lever 63. This lever 63 is pivoted on a pin 68 supported onv the frame 33. The lower portion of the lever 63 has a straight arm 64adapted to enter through an aperture in the side wall of the shuttle box 47 just beyond the place where the shuttle is located and toward the inside ofthe lay.

The lever 63 is pivotally connected with a link 65 theother end of which is pivotally connected with a guiding bar 66 pivotally supported on a bracket 67 attached to the frame 33 of thefloom.

The operation of my apparatus is as follows:

In the regular process of weaving the lay 44 is moved back and forth by the link 43 from the crankshaft 40, and the shuttle 48 with the bobbin 2 is thrown across the lay between the boxes 47. My device remains inoperative as long as there is a thread left in the lay of the warp after each passage of the shuttle. As soon as the thread from the bobbin is all used up or if it breaks, then the filling motion begins to operate, turning the shaft 28 in direction of the arrow 29. The pin 59, being clamped between levers 56 and 57, moves with them turning the crank lever 60, whichin turn pullsthe link 62 down. This movement causes the detector lever 63 to turn to the left on its shaft 68. In this position, as shown in Fig. 2, the guiding board 66 is brought down by the link 65 and it touches the roller 54 on the pusher,

lever 49, with the lay in its rear position.

At the same time the lever 27 being turned by the shaft 28, moves the fork 24 down until it engages the pin 30. The latter is moved down-by the lever 31 when the roller34 is moved up in the groove35 (Fig. 4) This movement causes the transfer arms 12, 13 and 14 to rotate on the pin 11, bringing the bobbin 2 in a position above the shuttle boX 47 and under the pusher lug 55. The cover 20 closes the cage for the bobbin between the cheeks 17 under action of the spring 46 (Fig. 4).

With the return movement of the lay, the

roller 54, sliding under the guiding board V and with the forward movement of thelay will be forced back as it is shown with dotted lines in Fig. 3. The board 66 will be raised, so that the replacement'of bobbins cannot take place. The crank 60 will be turned forcing the crank 57 into a position shown with dotted lines in Fig. 3, against theiten- "sion of the spring 58, althoughthe arm 56 is turned to the right by the change shaft 28.

If the-transfer of the bobbins has taken place (Fig. 5), then with the returnmovement of the lay the roller '54 pushes against the arm against the tension of the spring9 andturns the arm 5thereby removing the cover 4 from the magazine box l. The bobbins in the magazine slide down until they rest onthe board 16 of thearm 12 At the same time the. filling motion device begins to operate in the opposite direction, rotating the shaft 28 in direction opposite to the arrow 29, thereby bringing the arms 27 and 56-back to the inoperative position shown in Fig. 1. The board 66 is raised and I the arm 5 turns back, forcing the cover 4 between the bobbinsseparating one at the bottom. This bottom bobbin falls into thecage between the cheeks 17 as soon as the transfer arms 12 and 13 returnto their inoperative position shown in Fig. l. The fork 24 being disengaged from the pin 30, no further action can take place until the filling motion device begins to operate'again.

Important advantages of my mechanism are that it is simple in its construction, positive in its action and can be'attached to any existing loom. The action of the transfer and bobbin replacement mechanism is characterized by a steady pressure instead of a violent or erky motion which tends to save (Fig. 5). 105 r anism for a loom, the combination with a magazine for bobbins, of a cage, a frame for said loom, arms supporting said cage and rotatively mounted in a coordination with said magazine box, said arms being adapted to move said cage from the position imder said magazine box to a position above the shuttle box in the lay of a loom, said cage being adapted to receive a bobbin from said magazine, means to operate said arms, a change shaft adapted to be operated by a filling motion of said loom, means to control said arm operating means by said change shaft, a pusher lever on the lay of said loom adapted to transfer said bobbin from said cage into the shuttle in said shuttle box, a board pivotally mounted on said frame in a cooperative relation With said pusher lever, and means to move said board into an operating position, said means being controlled by said change shaft.

2. In an automatic bobbin changing mechanism, the combination With a magazine box for bobbins, of levers adapted to transfer one bobbin at a time to a position above said shuttle, a change shaft adapted to be operated by a filling motion of a loom, means to push said bobbin into said shuttle, an oscillating arm adapted to operate said transferring lever, means to operate said arm at one half speed of a lay of said loom, and means to operatively connect said arm With said lever, said means being controlled by said change shaft.

3. In an automatic bobbin changing mechanism for a loom, the combination with a magazine box for bobbins, of a transfer cage, means to deliver one bobbin at a time into said transfer cage, a cover for said cage, means to open said cover When said cage is in a position under said magazine box, a change shaft operatively connected With a filling motion mechanism of said loom, and means to push said bobbin from said cage into said shuttle, said means being controlled by said change shaft.

4:. In an automatic bobbin changing mechanism for looms, the combination With a magazine box for bobbins, of a transfer cage, means to deliver one bobbin at a time into said cage, means to resiliently hold said bobbin in said cage, a cover for said bobbin in said cage, means to move said cage with said bobbin into a position under said magazine box, means to remove said cover, means to push said bobbin into said shuttle, a change shaft operatively connected with a filling motion of said loom, said bobbin pushing means being adapted to be controlled by said change shaft.

Signed this 9th day of October, A. D. 1928.

NIKOLAI I. ASAFOFF. 

